Course Descriptions

Core Required Courses

This introductory foundation course defines the subject of Creative Industries as an area of academic study and surveys the various academic and creative disciplines to be covered over the course of the B.A. program. The course will focus in particular on how each discipline sees the world and on the sorts of knowledge and interpretations that structure these different perspectives on subjects and issues to be covered. Students will explore the advantages and challenges of interdisciplinary study and begin to develop strategies for benefitting the most from their Creative Industries studies.

Intellectual Property laws were developed to protect traditional literary, artistic, dramatic and musical works. This course introduces students to the legal principles underlying IP and explores how digital technology and the Internet have changed the rules, upsetting the traditional balance between content creators and content users and undermining many of the business models of the past. Current issues faced by policy-makers related to content use and the exploitation of IP rights will be investigated in the context of their repercussions for creators and creative enterprises.

Working effectively in the Creative Industries requires an understanding of media production based on sound principles of digital design. This studio course provides a project-based introduction to developing digital media content for the Web. Using industry-standard software and production practices, students will design and produce digital content. Taking into account current media ecologies, students will learn the basics of graphic design, interaction design, audio/video production and web authoring.

This course applies entrepreneurship theory and principles to the practice of entrepreneurship in Creative Industries. Entrepreneurs in Creative Industries drive the creation of new cultural products, firms, and markets, generating new wealth and new cultural value. They are visionary change agents who leverage cultural knowledge and talent to produce commercially viable, sustainable and socially desirable cultural products and services. This course will nurture the skills and attitudes of nascent entrepreneurs in the Creative Industries to allow them to successfully plan, launch, and manage small firms in the Creative Industries. It will critically review the key characteristics of successful enterprises, entrepreneurs and leaders within the cultural and more commercially focused Creative Industries, it will look at the range of business models that exist, review how best to build a financially sustainable firm, and provide models of entrepreneurial/business support relevant and useful for entrepreneurs in Creative Industries.

How do creative ideas happen? How can we foster our creativity and the creativity of those around us? What is the nature of creativity in teams and organizations and how can it be facilitated? Utilizing readings drawn from both psychological theories of creativity and management literature on innovation, and exploring the conflicting ideas of creativity theorists such as Abraham Maslow, R.W. Weisberg, Margaret Bodin and Robert Sternberg, this course delves into the dual nature of creativity as both an individualistic process and a product of formal systems of organization, as a synthesis of subconscious thoughts and rational analysis, and as the complex interaction of divergent and convergent thinking. Case studies will illuminate the creative process within the Creative Industries in terms of the relationship of creative individuals to the commercial context in which their ideas are developed and delivered.

This course exposes students to the theory and practice of human resources management in the context of the Creative Industries and is intended to provide students with the fundamentals necessary to effectively administer the human resources function of a creative enterprise. Using case studies drawn from this sector, the course will examine areas such as human resources planning; recruitment, selection and evaluation of staff; training and development; labour relations; approaches to compensation and benefits; relevant legislation and future trends.

This course asks how information about the Creative Industries can be collected and analyzed. It surveys research methods that are both useful within the Creative Industries and crucial to studying them. We will review information retrieval techniques as well as methods of data collection (audience research; content analysis; critical and textual analysis; surveys; interviews; focus groups etc.). Through practical exercises we will develop the research skills that are required of many careers within the Creative Industries (grant, report and policy brief writing etc.) as well as in advanced graduate degrees.

This capstone course builds upon the required B.A. Creative Industries industrial work placement, which must be completed prior to the end of this course. Using the research conducted during their placement, students will undertake a report that analyzes the management systems of their workplace company, assesses its strategic directions, and evaluates its strengths and weaknesses relative to the industrial environment in which it is operating. Course content is designed to facilitate the report by focusing on the organization, operation and strategic planning of creative enterprises and the criteria for appraising their efficacy.

The image of the solitary artist toiling away in romantic isolation has given way to the contemporary reality of creative production in many fields that builds upon multidisciplinary expertise on the part of a diverse team to achieve an end product arising from consensus-building and collaboration at many steps in the process. Applying theories of organizational behaviour, this course uses case studies and role-playing techniques to examine and familiarize students with best practices in collaborative creative work.

This course is the first in a series of three tracing the evolution of an existing Canadian-based public company from inception to current state. This course focuses on the steps necessary for the idea of a visionary to be transformed into a viable business. Topics include idea generation, understanding the market and customer needs, analyzing the competition, the transition from an informal to a formal organizational structure, financing the business, developing realistic budgets and operating within the political, economic, legal and socio-cultural constraints of the external environment. This course is not available to programs within the Ted Rogers School of Management.

This course focuses on the firm as it progresses beyond its startup phase and embraces a more management-focused orientation. Topics covered include governance structures, leadership, human capital recruitment, development and retention, financial stewardship, essential financial tools for decision-making, operations management, industry analysis, strategy development and execution.

This course is a capstone for the Business Essentials Minor and part of the Creative Industries Business Module. It focuses on the company as it seeks to dominate its markets. Topics include global expansion, tapping into capital markets, initial public offerings, debt financing, financial control, reporting and accountability, encouraging and managing innovation and change, corporate ethics and social responsibility, reputation management, and strategies to thrive in the dynamic external environment.

In the contemporary city, we are surrounded by media and artifacts that attempt to persuade us to buy, believe or behave in certain ways. This course provides students with the analytical tools to understand the ways that text, image and sound work together to create persuasive objects. Using concepts from a wide range of theoretical frameworks related to communication, this course focuses on the design and use of media and messages in urban space and the ways that text, image, and sound interact to create meaningful urban experiences.

Organizational Problem Solving and Report Writing focuses on the selection, treatment and solution of a complex problem in an organization, through the development and preparation of a formal, analytical report. Students learn how to propose solutions to an identifiable problem, customize a message for multiple audiences, create a work plan, apply primary and secondary research methods, and structure an argument logically and persuasively. Students will strengthen their critical thinking skills as they evaluate findings and formulate conclusions and recommendations.

A primary purpose of business is to increase shareholder value by satisfying the needs of customers. This course will "follow the money" by examining the sources and uses of financial resources to facilitate the realization of the company's strategic objectives. This course further develops the student's knowledge of accounting and finance including essential concepts that drive business success. Topics include sources of financing, financial statement analysis, strategic budgeting and profit planning, different costs for different purposes, and management control systems. This course is not available to programs within the Ted Rogers School of Management. (Formerly FIN 305)

This course beings with a critical overview of cities historical contribution to creativity. Then we focus on governing, building and living in the creative city by exploring how the pattern and form of cities create opportunities and challenges to an urban future that embraces creativity. Topics covered will include gentrification, design of public space, public transit provision, civic engagement and economic development strategies.

Elective Courses

This course examines the politics around Creative Industries. It surveys the interests of governments in supporting Creative Industries, the industrial, professional and lobby groups that promote them and the public interest organizations that campaign for alternative structures and resource allocations. Students will develop an understanding of the political tensions and power relations that surround the Creative Industries and the strategies and activities of the various different types of organizations engaged in them.

This overview of the book publishing industry in Canada today will follow the path of books in Canada from creation by authors to consumption by readers, and beyond. Topics will include the identity of the Canadian writer; literary agency; the structure of the publishing house through the publishing process (acquisitions and editorial; rights management; design and production; marketing, sales, and publicity; distribution); self-publishing; the role of the media and social media; book festivals, reading circuits, and literary awards; book and device sales, both brick-and-mortar and online; libraries and the used book market; and book clubs.

This course surveys the media and entertainment marketplace in Canada, focusing on its economic, political and cultural dimensions. The domestic production of media and entertainment products and services and their national and global distribution are studied together with the business practices and ancillary personnel and services that are required to finance, market and manage these enterprises. Recommended only for students in third or fourth year.

What makes for a great work of art? Why do we respond profoundly to some creators? work? In this course students explore in depth the body of work of an iconic artist, production company or artistic movement in light of its historical, cultural, commercial, technological and/or ideological context. Depending on the year offered, the focus could be on an influential musician, television showrunner, film director, choreographer, visual artist, publisher or video game creator.

Creative Industries typically organize their work into discrete projects to produce shows, films, books, exhibitions, etc. This course introduces students to the diverse aspects of project management including project planning, budgeting, financing, scheduling, cost control, procurement and contracting, and provides practical tools and techniques that apply to any creative project. Through hands-on exercises, students will learn how to effectively manage all phases of a project; how to develop a breakdown schedule, identify task relationships, employ estimating techniques, and develop a procurement strategy; and how to report results to ensure that the project progress is clearly identified and communicated to stakeholders.

Video games constitute one of the most dynamic and growing segments of the Creative Industries. This course explores the history, aesthetics, and cultural impact of video games while familiarizing students with the production, distribution and marketing processes that have evolved to stimulate this young industry. Issues confronting the video game industry as well as applicable developments in design and technology will be among the topics covered.

This course is an introduction to the business of design. It explores the link between design and the managing of design business activities. It outlines the function of the design manager as the orchestrator of other professionals including designers, technologists, administrators, and marketers. Topics include an overview of design fields; multidisciplinary alliances; client relationships; client/contractor contracts; the studio environment; corporate culture and organizational frameworks.

This course examines the crucial role of professional management for all types of artists and entertainers. Instruction focuses on the roles of personal manager, booking agent, talent agent, casting agent, road manager, and company manager. Additional topics will include the organization and business practices of talent agencies, talent career development, artist unions, and terms specific to the contracting of talent.

This course will be of interest to students who wish either to pursue a career in the Creative Industries or to advance their knowledge of strategic marketing in the context of a challenging, rapidly changing environment. It will examine the particular demands and techniques of marketing media products - films, TV shows, video games, books, magazines etc. - that are characterized by a short shelf life. The marketing of creative talent - the packaging and selling of celebrity artists - will be studied in the context of applicable consumption dynamics and changing global mechanisms for the promotion and distribution of creative goods.

Understanding the creative landscape today requires an understanding of the forces that shaped it in the past. This course will survey the development of book publishing and retailing in Canada from early-twentieth-century importation from abroad to the advent of large-chain retail. Topics will include the development of a Canadian textbook market; the story of Harlequin; the impact of the Massey Commission; the creation of Canadian trade-only publishing, changes in "branch-plant" publishing, and the rise of small presses; and bookselling from the stationery store to the national-chain retail and the advent of Internet sales.

This course, the subject matter and the availability of which may change from year to year, examines specific issues, themes, trends and/or developments that have currency within the field of creative industries. Topics may be proposed by permanent faculty, guest professionals or students.

The spectrum of live entertainment and artistic events is extensive, ranging from rock concerts, nightclubs, jazz festivals, tournaments and theme parks to ballet, opera, parades and fashion shows. This course will focus on the particular challenges involved in marketing live events, and the specific advertising, publicity, pricing and promotional techniques and related management practices that have proven successful in addressing these challenges.

This course presents an overview of the advertising industry and its creative functions. It examines the interrelationship of the institutions of advertising, the advertisers, the advertising agencies and the media, and explores how advertisers are adjusting to and exploiting new digital technologies. It introduces research and details methods of determining advertising objectives, budgets, establishing target audiences, interpreting audience ratings and circulation figures. Students also gain an understanding of key ethical and legal issues particular to this creative field.

This course examines the impact of globalization on the cultural industries and focuses on international trade in cultural products. We will look at the role of multinational entertainment firms, the importance of global markets to Canadian Creative Industries and consider other models that shape the global cultural marketplace including international co-productions, franchised content, the service production sector and others. Recommended only for students in third or fourth year.

This course examines the financial and management aspects of publishing, with emphasis on book publishing. Specific topics include strategic planning and business management; understanding financial statements, budgeting, and forecasting; the decision to publish; sales, promotion, and distribution; contracts, copyright, subsidiary rights, and legal concerns; program planning, co-publishing, and packaging; and human resources considerations.

This course will provide a general foundation in ethical philosophy and a framework for the development of a methodology of discernment. Case studies will explore various issues and challenges in ethical decision-making and leadership in management, marketing and creative practices across the Creative Industries sector. Issues covered will include cultural and sexual stereotyping, journalistic objectivity and ethical implications of technology. The course will help students nurture a sense of ethical judgment when dealing with problematic issues but will also encourage a proactive application of ethical values in their creative careers.

This course looks at the institutional and legal structures of media and communication in Canada and internationally. Drawing on texts and perspectives from important thinkers and analysts such as Lawrence Lessig, Marc Raboy, Peter Grant, and Robert McChesny, we will examine the policy frameworks that shape broadcasting, print, digital and internet, music and more. We will also consider various crosscutting communication policy issues such as copyright, production quotas and subsides and human rights. Recommended only for students in third or fourth year.

This course is designed for persons who aspire to executive leadership roles in for-profit or not-for-profit organizations in Creative Industries. Drawing on contemporary leadership theories, the course provides opportunities for comprehensive development of personal leadership potential through supervised reflection, networking, executive coaching, interaction with peers, and learning from seminars, guest speakers, scholarly literature, and case studies. Issues examined include: theories of leadership; the nature of leadership; values, ethics, and vision; conviction and the courage to act; leadership principles and styles; relationship building with stakeholders and shareholders; art versus commerce; team building, group dynamics and creative collaboration; delegation; conflict resolution; stress and change management; communication; character and power; and leadership tools, techniques, and strategies. Specific learning outcomes are: a theoretical understanding of leadership; practical application of leadership theory to cases in relevant creative/cultural industry environments; and development and articulation of a personal leadership philosophy.

This course provides students with a comprehensive introduction to negotiation, enhancing students' abilities in preparing to opening, bargaining and closing negotiations effectively over the course of their careers. Students learn theories of negotiation and apply those ideas in exercises focusing on specific contractual issues found in creative industries. Topics covered include dealing with agents, how to value creative work, leverage at different career stages and cross-cultural negotiation.

The rapid introduction and applications of emerging digital technologies and online services are challenging and in many cases overturning traditional modes of creation, marketing and dissemination in the Creative Industries and many of the business models based upon them. At the same time new opportunities are emerging for the enterprising creator and the creative enterprise. This course will explore what is on and just over the horizon with the intention of cultivating students? ability to recognize and exploit the possibilities inherent in technological change while minimizing the risks that they pose to established practices.

While the creative industries are a growing sector of the economy, women and visible minorities remain underrepresented and underpaid in creative work. How can we best foster the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the creative industries across gender, sexuality, race, and class? Students in this course analyze the problems of lack of equity and diversity in creative fields and then examine best practices and propose solutions to create inclusion.

Content creators must have the ability to market and exploit their intellectual property, both in Canada and internationally. In this practical course, legal issues and key contractual in distribution and licensing of intellectual property matters are examined in both Canadian and international contexts. Various contracts involving the exploitation of creative content will be examined, including license agreements, distribution agreements, asset and share purchases, joint ventures, and the legal rights and remedies which flow from these agreements.

In the 21st century, youth are driving creative innovation through emerging trends in consumption of creative content and though the rise of youth as creative producers. This course maps these trends in youth creative consumption and cultural production and investigates how policy structures might best support these unfolding creative and economic directions.

The study of innovation within academe has focused almost exclusively on the development of new products, processes, services and management methods that create value through improvements in functional performance. In contrast to this broad area of functional innovation, "soft innovation" refers to the introduction of changes of an aesthetic or intellectual nature that have substantive market impact. This course examines the two types of innovation belonging to this latter category: (1) the creation of new aesthetic or intellectual products (e.g. books, musical recordings, ballets, paintings, video games); and (2) aesthetic innovation in products that are primarily functional (e.g. automotive design). Using case studies from the Creative Industries - the main source of aesthetic products - the course will probe how innovation is cultivated and managed in this industrial sector and will identify new trends in the commercialization of creative content.

Teams of students propose, budget, finance, market and execute an ambitious event open to the public in a creative industry. Possible events include a film, dance or music festival, theatrical production, record or graphic novel launch or gallery exhibit. With faculty guidance and mentor support, students work with outside artists and content creators and provide a substantive report on the event's impact.

This introductory course is designed primarily for non-business students who are interested in starting a business of their own. Topics included assessing entrepreneurial potential, opportunity identification, market assessment, organizing, promoting, and financing the business, intellectual property, buying an existing business or considering a franchise. Students will be expected to work on developing a business plan.

This course takes an interdisciplinary perspective on the challenges of managing in a small-business environment. It is designed for students who plan to join a small or medium-sized enterprise company and want to have an improved understanding of the process by which things get done in small businesses that lack the resources and capabilities of large corporations. Topics include elements of managing high growth rates, family business, outsourcing, internships and leveraging external partnerships, guerilla marketing techniques, cash flow management, bootstrap financing, government programs, and corporate governance in a small business. This course is not available to programs within the Ted Rogers School of Management.

This course takes an interdisciplinary perspective on the challenges of managing in a large corporate environment. It is designed for students who plan to join a large company and want to have an improved understanding of the various functions of the business, and the processes by which things get done in large firms with significant bureaucracies. Topics include elements of human resources management, organizational behaviour and office politics, organizational design, planning and control systems, financial budgeting, supply-chain management, and governance in large corporations. This course is not available to programs within the Ted Rogers School of Management.

This course provides the essential skills needed to be successful while working as part of a team on a large project. Project management involves the planning, coordination and control of teams to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget. Topics include project planning and work breakdown structures, resource dependencies and sequencing, progress tracking and reporting, team dynamics and leadership, budgets and project approvals. This course is not available to programs within the Ted Rogers School of Management.

The world is shrinking and all businesses are becoming global businesses. This course helps students to prepare to be successful in the global business environment by better understanding the opportunities and threats it poses for their firms. Topics include introductory macro/micro economics, political trends and the effects on globalization, culture and international trade, internationalization, global industry analysis, and market assessment tools and techniques. This course is not available to programs within the Ted Rogers School of Management.

This course explores the concepts, technology, and applications of electronic business (e-Business). It covers the technical, social, and business changes that contribute to the evolution of e-Business and its importance to today's business activities. It reviews how to develop business strategies and architectures to seize these opportunities. It explains the technological infrastructure needed to support an e-Business system and describes how these systems are built. The course also examines characteristics and examples of e-Business.

Marketing is about creating, communicating and delivering value to customers. This course focuses on developing plans for identifying and attracting desirable customers for a business. Topics include strategic market planning, the 4 Ps of marketing, segmentation, targeting, positioning, and basic marketing metrics. Students learn how to develop an effective marketing plan for a new product or service in common vertical markets such as hospitality, retail, consulting, and professional services. This course is not available to programs within the Ted Rogers School of Management.